Does your child have autism? Do you have MS? No one talks about it, but there seems to be a link, a link between parents of children with autism being diagnosed with MS. I can’t find anyone who is looking into this….why? Why can’t we find information about the link between the two anywhere?

Let me take a step back. For years now I have suffered from dizziness, headaches, vision issues, and other strange symptoms. I had my first MRI and yes there were small, possible spots of demyelination, but I was reassured this is common in most people walking around today. I was told many interesting things by doctors, but most settled on me having an anxiety disorder.

I was told, “You are dizzy because you have four kids”, “You can’t find your words because you have anxiety”, and better yet, “This is all between your ears, Sweetie”. So I talked myself into being very stressed out, and felt my dizziness was because I was anxious.

Years later, after not thinking about MS again, I received an official, unexpected diagnosis of optic neuritis. I knew right away what this meant, and headed back to the neurologist. I told him of my optic neuritis, commonly one of the first signs of MS, and I told him that I felt like I was occasionally slurring my words. He said, “Everyone slurs their words, I slur my words all the time. Look at you, you’re fine, your exam is fine, trust me, those old spots on your MRI could have been dust on the lens.” He agreed to do a second MRI, just to be safe.

About an hour after doing my second MRI, I am in the waiting room. The doctor comes out and signals me to come back. He says, “Well you do have MS, I can’t believe it, I really was not expecting this.”

Wait a minute…this sounds eerily similar to something I had heard years earlier, not at an appointment for me, but at an appointment for my son. You see, my son was not developing typically. We started early intervention at 10 months of age because my husband and I were noticing some subtle delays. As a first time mom, I just had the feeling something was wrong. At 12 months of age, I started questioning doctors about autism. My little guy just didn’t’ seem like the other kids his age. I had read some articles on red flag signs and, when I did, I felt so scared inside. It sounded just like my baby. The doctors and professionals reassured me “he is fine”. “He just has a little delay”. “He is a boy, you are a nervous first time mom, and you need to relax”. These are just a few of the many things I heard.

Every six months we went back and back. “He would not be looking you in the eyes if he had autism, he is so social, and he is so affectionate” the doctors told me. When my little guy was 3 ½, I took him back again. At this point his speech was completely repetitive and his behavior was spiraling downward. The doctor observed my son for 10 minutes before giving him a diagnosis of autism. I can still hear the doctors words vividly in my brain, “I don’t know how we missed this, I am so sorry.”

One might think I would be upset at the way I have been treated and doubted by doctors over the years, but I am not. Actually I feel fortunate. I received a diagnosis of MS in 2 years, the last I heard the average person waits 6 years for a diagnosis. Yes I was blown off by doctors about my son’s autism but, he did start in early intervention at 10 months and he has always had extreme amounts of therapy. He has worked so very hard, and I am so very grateful for where he is today. Could he possibly be farther along had he been qualified earlier for behavioral interventions? Possibly, but he did very well with the services we had.

What I am mad about is why now when I talk to so many families of children with autism do I find out that one of the parents has MS. Why when I tell my child’s specialist for autism that I have MS does he say to me, “ I am so sorry, but unfortunately, it is not uncommon for children in my practice to have a parent with MS.” Why do the doctors who are “ahead of their time” feel that autism is an autoimmune disorder, just like MS? Why are doctors treating MS similarly, almost identically, the same way biomedical doctors are treating autism? Why isn’t the relationship of the two disabilities being tracked? Why can’t I find any research on the correlation between MS and Autism? Will one of them give us answers to the other? Can MS treatments help autism or vice versa? Should I have been warned that I might be at high risk for an autoimmune disorder after my son’s diagnosis? How can parents take care of a child with a disability if they themselves don’t feel good and have no idea what their future of their MS may hold?

Do parents in my situation need to be told in 10 years that there is a correlation between MS and Autism? Do we have to be told we don’t know what we are talking about, to find out later we were right?

I can’t help but think of Chris Martin from Coldplay’s words in his song Clocks, “Am I part of the cure, or am I part of the disease”. Please help parents in my situation be part of the cure.

Sarah Westerfield Lapinski

-Mother of four children-Mother of a child with autism-Mother diagnosed with MS-University of Pittsburgh Graduate Student (Early Intervention with Autism Specialization)-Advocate for Children and Adults with disabilities

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Mother of 3... For 5 years we've been battling and trying to cure my Youngest is 7 year old & is severely autistic... I just ended up in the hospital for numbness... Of my face..neck..back..etc.. the mri found I have herniated discs but also deep white matter that is consistent with MS. Very interesting. Now that I know... I guess we'll be doubling up on the supplements since MS is treated with some of the same as autism.

I found Lglutamine and vit D3 has helped him tremendously
Added to his DHA, omega3, NAC, L caritine, mag/calcium/ zinc supplement, along with a very expensive RAW probiotic
Epsom baths alternated w magnesium oil when I added Lglutatime & switched probiotics he started using words like "now..later...and then" & using his hands to point and say idk
Good luck to all... This is a puzzle and I'm determined to put the pieces together. God bless you all. Stay strong. Jenny665577@gmail

Hi! I have been having trouble for over ten years trying to get diagnosed with something. Yes something, my digestive track is a total reck with long turn pain mostly sutle pain and constant head aches and I've had test after test and Drs have said nothing is wrong with me. They all at first have said autoimmune disorder then the test have comeback negative. But no one has mentioned MS. Could it be that I'm out of the normal and my digestive track is "shutting down" first? I'm a runner and stay in pretty good shape I'm not a body builder or rocking six pack abs but I'm also not over wight or out of shape by no means. I've have had intense headaches almost daily, so tired all the time but have chalked that up to being a mine of three hyperactive boys and constantly going and getting older. Aches and pain also getting older but now I'm not so sure. I've noticed a lack in my muscle straight and my feet have started to go numb when running in the last couple of years but I always regain my feeling. But lately I've been having an increase in pain in my abdomin. I was recently in the ER x2 for pain the Drs can't find the source of. The first time they were thinking appendicitis but after some muscle relaxers and a couple days rest the pain subsisted. Then a month later an intince pain going through my gallbladder to my back through my kidney so intense I couldn't walk sit or hardly breath. Agin no results from testing or ultrasounds of my abdomin and back. I've have upper and lower GI testing nothing. Is it time to suggest MS and be called crazy and out there on the ledge by my dr? I have at least one of my
three sons is Autistic. My younger sister though she has not been tested my very well be and my father I swear with out a doubt had Aspergers.
There's just too much out there linking neurological disorders together now to not ask the questions of what is going on?
Am I just a hypochondriac or am I looking in the right direction. I'm at a loss and need help.

I need help please!!! We live in Bzn, MT my son just turned 2... I just turned 35 MRI with 3-4 3mm brain lesions 4+ yrs of symtomatic... on going. After birth of son symptoms worse. Son now isnt speaking..regression of words etc. Hes at a 9 mo cognitive level when his entire growth normal. I go to my first neuro apt this tuesday..hes scheduled to see child phycologist for possible autism. Im heart broken mad confused

My mother developed MS at the age of 38 (at least, that is when it was diognosed). I was about 8 at the time but remember it well. Her first dragging her feet and feeling tired. She quickly worsened and ten years later she was confined to a chair and lost all movement except in her head. Her brain was unaffected but her speech was the last thing to go. She died aged 68 suddenly.
It has recently been suggested that I have had some sort of autism since childhood. I related little to other children except a close circle and had some educational difficulties despite being diagnosed as "highly intelligent and articulate" - whatever that means! I found it possible only to study subjects that really interested me and those intensely. I wonder if my mother's condition caused or contributed to this. Is there any help that I can get to discuss this.

Thank you for this article. I am 60 years of age and am certain that i have High Functioning Autism, otherwise called Aspergers Disorder. I am discouraged to attempt an official diagnosis, having been informed of the difficulty of females and adults in getting a diagnosis, but i have all the 'symptoms' and it makes my life very difficult. I found your article in searching for connections between Autism and MS. My father had multiple sclerosis and was disabled for half his life, and died from complications due to it. I was interested to see how often families are making this connection, as i saw several discussions in groups about this, but very very little medical research or mention of it. I did find one scientific article that finds a definite association in genetic links between the two . http://www.nature.com/tp/journal/v1/n12/full/tp201162a.html

For anyone wondering, MS (linked to autism) and diabetes mellitus (type one diabetes) have the identical immune response markers and look identical in the test tube. I know this because I have apberger's and was recently diagnosed at age 45, after years and years of symptoms...with MS. My husband was also recently diagnosed with mild recurring relapsing MS (even though he also had symptoms for DECADEDES!!) Both of our children became type 1 diabetic (autoimmune!) when they turned 3. Everyone thought the type 1 diabetes was out of the blue because no one had diabetes of any kind for generations in our family. It turns out not really...the aspberger's is like child onset/non-regurring MS and the MS is genetically identical to type 1 diabetes. The difference is you tend to get an MS diagnosis after age 20 and you tend to get diabetes before age 20...now it appears if you get EXTREME EARLY ONSET you may get AUTISM!!!!!

There's a saying, "You can't get the right answers unless you ask the right questions." You are asking the right question, Sarah: What is the link between autism and MS?

Here's a more specific question: What is the link between autism, MS, myelin, casein, gluten, antibodies, and the MMR vaccine? Here's my hypothesis, supported by what we know so far from the research.

There is only one factor that is common to all of these items: an autoimmune reaction. In an adult with MS, an autoimmune response demyelinates the central nervous system, and in an autistic child, an autoimmune response prevents proper myelination of the developing central nervous system. But why?

Whenever a foreign protein gets into the blood stream, an antibody is formed that triggers an immune response to destroy that foreign protein or antigen. Casein and gluten from dairy and grains are very difficult for the human digestive system to breakdown completely to harmless amino acids. The undigested protein fragments may end up in the blood as antigens, which triggers an autoimmune response to destroy them. Here's the problem: Being complex proteins, casein and gluten are similar to other proteins in the body, so, due to a process called molecular mimicry, the antibodies begin to destroy those other body proteins as well. These proteins are found in the myelin sheath that protects the central nervous system and in other connective tissue such as the skin and digestive tract. The MMR vaccine appears to create a similar autoimmune response that causes antibodies to target similar body proteins.

Sarah, your family has GEMS. That stands for Genetic Enzymatic Methylation Syndrome. There is a definite connection between autism and demyelination (MS). I lecture on the subject. www.xrmd.com/webinar. Next one is monday 8 pm EDT. Dr Rozakis

To all-I can empathize with this group. I am a board-certified practicing doctor who had MS symptoms I ignored for 2 yrs prior to my son being born. Unfortunately, even while pregnant I had flares. I was Dx'd 6mo after(co-incidentally after stopping breast feeding) after when I took myself to the ER as I thought I had an ascending demyelinating illness. MS didn't factor into my mind at that time as all the in-patients I saw were primarily muscular and not sensory + weakness. The kind neurologist who saw me that night showed me my MRI and it was obvious. It looked like a XMAS tree all lit up. At 2yrs my son displayed symptoms I thought was a receptive aphasia (I was told he was a normal variant by my very sharp ped) but I knew something was wrong and by 2.5yrs he was Dx'd.

anti-myelin ab have been described in the literature in autism individuals although the link is not tight. I agree w/ the article-the link hasn't been looked at in a broad way and I think would be helpful. Perhaps early use of estriol in young females w/ MS thinking of getting pregnant may be useful. There is no suggestion that heavy metals play a part and NONE (in fact the Lancet article showing a link was a FRAUD, the article is completely retracted and the doc has lost his license). It just happens when you first notice autism when its most severe is also when kids are getting vaccined. Please get your autism kids their vaccines!

God bless and good luck-its exhausting to have MS and a kid w/ autism but luckily my son is now giving me hugs and reading. I borrow a phrase from the brits in WWII: Keep calm and carry on

They both are connected by the gene which means that mercury in the blood cannot be kept out of the brain, as the brain blood barrier is too thin. However, in MS nutrition also plays a part as you can have a worse condition from overconsumption of animal proteins and you can be stabilised if you adopt a whole food plant based diet, in autism when caused by mercury it matters probably less whether you had too many animal proteins or not, although adopting a plant based diet cannot hurt. There is also a form of autism caused by gluten and casein, but it is a totally different condition to the one linked with MS, and only connected in this mythical "autistic spectrum" that people still seem to think exists.

Both MS related autism and MS itself can only benefit from the eating of plenty of fruits and coloured vegetables and the use of Omega 3 - but take care on how it is sourced as mercury can often be concentrated in fish sources of Omega -3.

Read the books and watch the films of such Drs as Caldwell Esselstyn, T Colin Campbell and John MacDougall for the kind of healthy diet that can help these conditions and why.

I have three children who have autism and had many ms symptom and for dizziness, migraines, tremors, memory loss the whole nine yards what I did find out is that diet sodas cause ms symptoms and may cause a person to think they have ms or possibly cause changes in your body I quit diet sodas in June 2011 and I'm so much better

I am convinced I have MS & my son has autism. My dizziness, memory loss, blurred vision and numbness have been diagnosed with anything from anxiety to migraines to - get this - caffeine withdrawal (while still consuming caffeine). This post makes me teary because I, too, got blown off from the docs regarding my son's autism before his diagnosis and have gotten blown off about my own health. I gave up on doctors for myself & went on the autism diet alongside my son, only to experience vast improvement. I wish they had DAN! doctors for parents.

We all get a diffferent "diagnosis" so it takes longer for us to figure out that we all have the same thing: metal and chemical toxicities (especially mercury and aluminum). I have M.S.and mercury poisoning, but my cowardly doctor can ony manage to say that I have "a multiple sclerosis-like illness"! She refuses to say I have either one yet I have all the symptoms (ALL-except being wheel-chair bound). It is sickening to me. My daughter who was inutero when I had the first severe symptoms has mild autism (she does not have behavior problems but the digestive, (undiagnosed) reading and math learning disabilities, dyslexia, double vision, auditory processing problems,fatique and dizziness,and short-term memory problems affect her education and health severely). The doctors are inept at knowing or even caring what is wrong with Elise or with me. If i ever mention mercury toxicity (for which I have lab tests and a $15,000 dental bill from having my toxic fillings removed to prove it.), the doctors start panicking. They KNOW I am on the right track, but are too afraid to stand up for the the children and speak out against the mercury and aluminum-laden vaccines and too afraid to speak up for us adults who have been poisoned by our toxic dental materials. It is more politically correct to speak out against tunafish than against known toxins in our medical and dental treatments. They are a bunch of "cowards and criminals" (that's the name of the book i plan to write about this issue). A link between M.S. and Autism? Definitely! Heavy metals. I am a nurse that lost my job because i was labeled "unsuitable for work in our department" (labor and delivery/mother baby)on my first day of general orientation because i dared to ask some questions of the infection control nurse regarding the safety and informed consent issues regarding the Hep B vaccine they give newborn babies (sometimes within 15 minutes of their birth) when they have NO risk of exposure but a huge risk of acquiring life-long autoimmune diseases and autism from this insane practice that the greedy pharmaceutical companies push for monetary gain (and reward the hospital "pushers" with monetary incentives for having a high vaccine administration percentage). I am trying to figure out how to get parents and doctors to wake up to this issue of metal toxicities causing autism, MS, cancer,diabetes, obesity,depression, pyschological problems, ALS, Alzheimers, etc etc etc. and unite to put a stop to it. Laurie

I have three children who have autism and two of them have chronic asthma and allergies. I'm currently getting tested for ms. I have heard the connection over the past 15 years and this spring when I started spurring my words and started having memory lose I knew it was time to get serious testing done Lisa Matthews bello.

Many diagnosed with MS can actually have something called Gluten Ataxia. Anyone with MS needs to be tested for gluten sensitivity. Since autism is sometimes thought to be connected with a gluten sensitivity as well, it makes sense that both could run in families.

A recent presentation by the Whittemore Peterson Institute for NeuroImmune Diseases has identified the common thread as XMRV, a newly identified retrovirus that many with MS, ME/CFS and Autism are infected by. See a review of the presentation given recently, including slides of familes showing XMRV and Autism here:

looking at this, i never thought this was common. i thought i was one of a small group of parents that have ms and actually 3 autistic sons. i was adopted as an infant, but was told my birthmother was bipolar. this is vry interesting.

Just saw this. This person is a neurologist and he thinks an MRI machine has a *lens*?? Last time I checked (just now..) MRI works by imposing a complicated set of very strong magnetic fields, and then detecting photons released as proton spins decay from various points in the patient. There is no *lens*. What kind of an trained monkey is this person? Granted their might be some dust somewhere in the circuits of the detector, or coils.. Don't know if that would lead to spots though.

handthatrocksthecradle;
I have observed those fevers in my own kids. It sure seems to be a virus that their bodies are trying to get under control.

Now that they are older, they still come down fast with sinus infections, colds.

You might just be right.

Low carb diet is good for my family because there is something in their energy pathways that is interferring with breaking down low chain carbohydrates.

Perhaps being on a low carb diet denies this bug some important energy required for its existence.

I read somewhere (forgetting were all this information is coming from any more) that some mycroplasmas bugs use us - our cholesterol to make its cell membranes.

Perhaps that was what the writers of the Bible knew when talking about sacrificing of protein/fat to God (human body) was better than high carb foods in Cain and Abel. Perhaps this is what Jesus knew when he suggested that those with mental illnesses fasted, and that praying did a lot too perhaps.

One word sums up this entire blog post...MERCURY...is the cause of both conditions. Get the mercury out of the brain and treat the systemic candida and leaky gut that all goes with it and you will see your "incurable" conditions somehow miraculously vanish.

Thank you all for your input and support. By keeping in contact and continuing our discussion we can hopefully contribute to a solution to the problem. We can help our children, others, and ourselves in our situation. I thank everyone for the research that was sent, I will add it to my website: http://www.autoimmuneconnection.com
Please continue to send me updated information you may find as well as forward my website/email to anyone interested. Thanks again!
Sarah
sarah@autoimmuneconnection.com

So many times, too many to count, I'll encounter women in their 60's who have MS. They see my son and say, "oh, I have a grandson with Autism. It has happened so much that I now. Expect it when someone says she has MS

Regarding the vitamin D connection as it relates to autism and autoimmune diseases, I have read about the theory that the mycoplasmas block the VDR (vitamin D receptors). It may not be a matter of not enough intake of vit D, so much as a problem in the delivery mechanism.

The VDR is critical not only to the immune system functioning, I have read it plays a major role in the transcription of genes.

Mycoplasmas act like retroviruses, getting into their host cells and using it to replicate.

I won't pretend to understand the biochemistry of it all, but I sure as hell can connect the dots.

I personally have not met one single parent of a regressive ASD child that does not believe that their child's immune system somehow crashed. Most have observed the cyclical nature of the disorder and have witnessed temporary regressions and understand that it consistently runs its course, like a fever induced by a virus, before returning to baseline - ASD "normal". Others report improvements when the child is febrile as if the body is cooking (destroying) those very seem pathogens that cause ASD symptoms.

I believe the VDR and its relation to the mycoplasmas and/or retroviruses is your smoking gun. The rest of the stuff like the adjuvants, metals, GMOs, aspartame, MSG just stokes the fire.

Sierra, my twins with regressive autism are generally hypoimmune but had high antibodies (both IgG and IgM) for HHV-6 back when Immunosciences Lab was still in business. You may be familiar with the literature connecting HHV-6 to MS and CFS (chronic fatigue syndrome) but if not there is a well referenced summary at http://www.plazamedicine.com/hhv6/hhv6_1.html

Someone left a message about eye color. My Autistic son had the most beautiful blue eye's when he was born. At the age of 8-10 they turned green, and now at the age of 15 they are a light brownish red, the same color as his hair. What does eye color have to do with anything? Please copy your response to Reneelwaring@aol.com

My son has high level Autism, and I've had symptoms of MS for years. I've been tested and had the MRI's but one minute they have a diagnosis and the next they've changed their minds. At this point all the doctor's will consider is that I'm an over-imaginative Mom and I need to stop being tested. Neither of us is on any medication. My friends think I'm a hypocondriac. I've given up, but the symptoms again are returning. How do I get the doctor's to listen to me? Reneelwaring@aol.com

There is a connection via iron overload. Some people with iron overload cannot l ook into other People's eyes. This is because iron also accumulates in the retina wihich then becomes brown. The iron can be removed via iron chelation, and then the person can look into the eyes of other people without problems.
Iron overload in the brain also is a dominating feature in MS, cf the work of Paolo Zamboni at the Univ. of Ferrara, Italy.
Hans

Someone HAS investigated the link between autism and MS--the Vitamin D Council.

YES, mercury toxicity and vaccines are the culprits--but vitamin D deficiency seems to be at least one major reason why some of us can't excrete the mercury and other vaccine toxins while other people seem completely unaffected.

Here's how the Vitamin D Council explains it:
"Vitamin D's role in increasing glutathione levels may explain the link between mercury and other heavy metals, oxidative stress, and autism. For example, activated vitamin D lessens heavy metal induced oxidative injuries in rat brain. The primary route for brain toxicity of most heavy metals is through depletion of glutathione. Besides its function as a master antioxidant, glutathione acts as a chelating (binding) agent to remove heavy metals such as mercury. Autistic individuals have difficulty excreting heavy metals like mercury. If brain levels of activated vitamin D are too low to employ glutathione properly, and thus unable to remove heavy metals, they may be damaged by heavy metal loads normal children easily excrete. ***That is, the mercury in Thiomerosol vaccines may have injured vitamin D deficient children while normal children would have easily bound the mercury and excreted it.***" (emphasis mine)

I've done intake on around 300 kids with autism for a pediatrician. I always ask the parent for a family medical history. Most of the families have a history of some sort of autoimmune issue. There is also lots of bipolar. Which leads me to believe that it is autoimmune (and environmental) in nature.

My son has autism. My mother and my husband's mother have lupus. Husband's mother also has epilepsy. Mother's father had lupus. I have a diagnosis of "fibromyalgia".

A couple of weeks ago in the Senate subcommittee meeting, mention was made that many people with autism have immune issues. So how did they find this out? Can't that testing be done before immunizing? Immunization is contraindicated for those with immune issues. Seems like that might stop some of this right in it's tracks. Let's even take that a step backward...they wouldn't have even NEEDED testing on my kid, all they needed to do was look at my chart of my family history to see that my son had a huge genetic predisposition for immune issues and immunization should have been held off until we had a good picture of where he stood medically speaking. Why is this not common sense?

Research has found a link see Robert Bransfields a Neuro Psychiatrist work at http://www.lymeinducedautism.com/lymeautismconnection.html
also the presentation by S Harris on the same page.
People can be infected with Lyme disease and just have mild symptoms which can pass on to the child who develops Autism especially following a vaccine. Vaccines are recognised in causing mild lyme disease symptoms to be come a full blown illness.

Lyme disease can present with a multisystem illness fatigue, ME/CFS, depression, arthritis, neurological often cyclical symptoms and patients are diagnosed with a spectrum of illnesses including MS.

The controversy over Lyme Disease is an International disgrace and patients must do their research throughly if their children have ASD and especially if one parent has any of the symptoms that could be Lyme Disease.

The testing for Lyme Disease can miss upto 50% of cases but there are doctors around the World who follow ILADS International Lyme and Associated Disease Society see www.ilads.org

If you look at my blog and put Autism in the search you will come up with some interesting presentations and videos.

Research Dr. Shyh Lo and mycoplasmas patents. Mycoplasmas were developed as germ warfare by the U.S. This doctor has a patent on these mycoplasmas that are not easily detected since they lack a cell wall. They were engineered and he admits they lead to the development of chronic autoimmune diseases like Crohn's, MS, RA, sarcoid, cancer, HIV, Alzheimer's, etc. Dr. Garth Nicholson made the connection between mycoplasmas and Gulf War Syndrome. (Coincidentally, the offspring of GWS sufferers have a higher incidence of autism than the general population.)

I too had a reaction to a hep B vaccine and believe this triggered my autoimmune disease. Hep B vaccines are recombinant (genetically engineered) vaccine.

Dr. Blaylock has written many articles on how mycoplasmas, heavy metals, aspartame, MSG, viral particles affect the microglial in the brain.
He links this to anxiety, depression and neurodegenerative brain diseases like Parkinson's and Alzheimer's as well.
Our children inherit our less than robust immune systems to begin with. That's why they, like us are vulnerable to injury. It might not even be that they inherit genes that predisposes them, rather, they may not inherit genes that protect them from injury. I read somewhere of a case of an AIDS sufferer having been cured as a result of having a bone marrow transplant? from a donor having a protective gene(s) only found among certain Nortern Europeans.

You must strengthen your immune system with unprocessed, non-GMO foods. Avoid foods high in arginine as mycoplasmas thrive on arginine. Interestingly enough, the herpes diet is low arginine too. Are all these mycoplasmas derived from HHV-6? Check out olive leaf extract, grapefruit seed extract, neem. Glutamates in food (gluten and casein are high glutamate foods) also cause excitotoxity. Dr. Blaylock writed extensively about this. My son is not recovered, though has greatly improved. I have always noted cyclical, periodic regressions and always believe it was viral in origin. After digging, I am absolutely convinced our diseases are caused by these mycoplasmas introduced via vaccines mostly.

The truth is in the patents taken out for certain mycoplasmas. They are not easily detected and are very slow active, probably hiding out in the body until a major insult (vaxes)tips the immune system into dysfunction mode.

The immmune system crash of autism is mycoplasmas acting as the gasoline and the heavy metals, aspartame, excess glutamates, MSG, measles virus as the fire.

The link between MS and other so called auto-immune disease and autism is a proven fact ..The reason for the link is explained in my site.
Autism is an infectious disease , caused by pathogens that are considered self my the immune system. The bugs neither culture or elicit an immune response..For more detail read my site http://www.yeast-candida-infections-uk.co.uk/

I am a 60 year old mother of a 24 year old son who suffers from Autism. My paternal uncle had MS, so maybe there IS something to this MS/Autism connection. So far no one else in my family has come down with MS, but I worry because I have suffered off and on with dizziness since my 30's and also finding the right words . . .

Thank you for bringing attention to the link between autism in children and MS in parents.

I remember my dentist scoffing at the 60 Minutes report and thus causing me to delay my amalgam removal for several years. The medical profession poisons us and then prolongs the suffering with their ignorance, negligence and denial. Someday, I hope those responsible for injecting and implanting mercury will get their due. It's wreaked havoc on my family.

Does anyone believe Obama's kids are having amalgam fillings put in their teeth? Doubtful! Yet under Obama, the FDA's consumer website has PULLED the warning that amalgam fillings could cause neurological harm to children and fetuses. Here's the whole disgusting story of how dental industry interests trump health under this administration. Please read it:http://www.wvgazette.com/Opinion/OpEdCommentaries/200911210292

Autism and MS will continue as long as our elected officials are in the pocket of industry.

Wow, crazy timing. I (most likely) have ME/CFS. I have chronic HHV-6 and major neurological inflammation. When I found this out I got my son (mild ASD, Hyperlexia) onto Valtrex and he did extremely well on it.

When I first got really sick 2 years ago (no coincidence after one of my son's worst days), I had what my son's DAN! called a mild heart attack followed by crippling fatigue. For months I was only able to get out of bed to go to the bathroom and have almost no memory of that time. As a side note, biomed parents need to write down everything they do in case this happens so that another person can care for your child.

I'm mostly recovered now (like my son) by the same methods, no doubt not a coincidence. I also hear that I shouldn't blame myself. That makes no sense since my illness wasn't my doing either. My child and I were injured. I'm so glad to see this connection getting more attention!

My husband has progressive MS and our youngest son has autism. Husband's symptoms began (slowly and he was initially misdiagnosed) after a series of shots (including Hep B) that were required for international travel with the company he worked for.

He was doing fair until the 2004 flu shot. Both he and my younger son (who was under the age of 2) fell into the "high risk" category and were able to get flu shots (there was a shortage that year).

Within a year of receiving their flu shots, my youngest son went from a happy, healthy baby meeting milestones to a sick, unhappy toddler who was losing skills and receiving therapy. In that same year, my husband's eye sight and ataxia significantly worsened prohibiting him from work.

Husband's neurologist, son's developmental ped, and son's (former) general ped say coincidence. Son's DAN doctor has them both on B-12 and Vit D. Husband has tried many meds and swears the B-12 is only thing that gives some relief from overwhelming fatigue.

In my family it is Diabetes and Cancer. Several family members have diabetes.
Four people in my immediate family have now had cancer. I lost my brother about 4 years ago, watched my Mother go through Breast Cancer, then not quite two years ago I had cancer and this year my Father was diagnosed in June with cancer and passed away on June 21st barely 9 days after being diagnosed. I used to think our children are the "toxic tipping point" in a world gone mad. Now it has finally dawned on me......We are the toxic tipping point, our generation and our children are the result of this, and because the poisoning just continues, our children show the results as toddlers. What used to take a lifetime of poisoning and bad habits, no happens almost instantaneously with life for our kids.
This summer I met a new local family with an autistic child when my daughter tried out for local theater. The Mom was in the play and told me about her son with autism and a few days later told me about her cancer. That should be the next book "BEYOND THE TOXIC TIPPING POINT".

I am 53 and have MS; my 13 year old son has autism. We have both undergone chelation and anti-candida regimes and are the better for them. I believe both autism and MS may relate to mercury exposure, via the environment in general and also via dental amalgams, Rhogam shots, and vaccines.

I have a friend who gradually lost sensation in her legs. She was diagnosed with MS and began treatment. The doctor advised her to also see a nutritionist which was the turning point for her in this journey. Come to find out she was a long time Weight Watchers dieter and consumed a great deal of aspartame in sugar free drinks and desserts. Her nutritionist told her to stop all aspartame and her symptoms disappeared. The MS diagnosis was changed to aspartame poisoning. Interesting how some people can drink a dozen diet Cokes a day and be fine and others cannot tolerate aspartame...a lot like our kids with toxins.

This article hits close to home for me. My mom has MS. I have autoimmune thyroid disease and Raynaud's syndrome. My completely unvaccinated son has autism. I feared he was at risk for autism - I didn't vaccinate him -
He has autism anyway.
Would it be worse if we'd vaccinated him?
Surely.
Is that much comfort? Sometimes, no.

Dr Kendal Stewart has done a lot of research into MS and related disorders as a board certified neurotologist, and also found a high % of parents of ASD kids who suffer from these (including myself). His treatment protocol has been recovering our entire family from neuro-immune disorders. You may want to contact him. Good Luck!

Jeff C. and Jen B -- VERY interesting comments re: optic neuritis and demyelination in relationship to pandemic flu jabs. Do we know which pandemic flu vaccine was involved? Who was the manufacturer? Was thimerosal involved? What adjuvant was involved?

Our flu season is right around the corner. The Australian experience with the new flu inoculations for 2010, was less than encouraging.

Optic neuritis, MS, Crohn’s disease, Kawasaki’s disease, and Henoch Schonlein Purpura. Let’s be sure to add these reports to the ever-growing list of vaccine-associated diseases. Is there a common underlying etiologic link between these diseases?

It appears as if the epidemic of these diseases are all part of a cascade of similar events, which share common pathways.

My neuro is trying to figure me out. I have the same epilepsy as my son (that is pretty darn common too, moms with epilepsy kids with autism).

I have a ton of MS symptoms --but my MRI was ok. I have chronic inflammation too. She just ordered 11 vials of blood drawn from me and sent off to a lab.

We are all messed up. Every last one of us --whether you know it or not moms. B/c for years I was living like I was just fine. But when curiosity set in and I had all the tests run --that is when I acknowledged the MS symptoms, that is when I realized I was twitchy from seizures, that is when the EEG and blood work came back abnormal.

And I don't think anyone really cares to look into this.

I drew up a family tree that was very interesting!!! A bunch of autism and apraxia and "behavioral issues" on my sons generation. A bunch of "so-called psych" stuff on my generation. A bunch of auto-immune on my mom's generation.

Twelve years ago when my son was dx'd I was onto to all of this. I wrote it all down for the doctors at CHOPgh and they patted me on the shoulder and told me I shouldn't worry about such things and I shouldn't blame myself.

I told them that all us parents have the same stories and the same medical histories. That I don't blame myself, that I blame them for not paying attention.

Yes, I was sick too. I recovered myself on the same exact thing my children recovered from autism on. I think the symptoms are different because I got sick as an adult, and my children got sick while developing. Yes, there is a connection between ill parents and children with autism.

I am so sorry about the MS. I do think a lot of us as parents need the same interventions our children need. I am GFCF and currently chelating along with my kiddos. I see the connection on my side with Asbergers, ADD and SIDs in my mother's family. Mother died with breast cancer at age 39. They don't want to look at the connection for the same reasons they deny vaccines cause any damage-potential loss of profit. They need us to stay sick! :(

A friend of mine diagnosed with multiple sclerosis recovered greatly after mercury amalgam removal and chelation. She's out of a wheelchair.

What keeps people poisoned? The trade organizations that profit from mercury and aluminum use have vocally resisted change, dismissing these "anecdotes" as irrelevant coincidence even though clinical studies show otherwise.

I also thought of Ginger's posting after reading Sarah's story. Two days ago, I had never heard of "optic neuritis", then a new paper potentially links the disorder to the H1N1 vaccine along with Sarah mentioning it here.

They don't specify if the H1N1 vaccine had thimerisol. It would be nice to have more than the abstract.

From the *Vaccine Evaluation Center, Department of Pediatrics, British Columbia Children' Hospital, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada; and daggerDivision of Neurology, Department of Pediatrics, British Columbia Children's Hospital, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
Abstract

When a neurologic condition develops after vaccination of a patient, the causal relationship is difficult to determine. We report an unusual case in which neurologic signs occurred in a previously healthy child after both doses of H1N1 2009 influenza vaccine, culminating in bilateral optic neuritis and disseminated encephalomyelitis. A causal association is more likely with repeated injury following influenza vaccination.

I was dx with ms. After five of the military's anthrax shots (35 mcg of thimerosal each!), one shot coupled with a flu shot (another 25 mcg of thimerosal!).

BTW - optic neuritis was first symptom for me that sent me to doc. Optic neuritis after anthrax shots is a known side effect.

I was dx with ms based on history of symptoms and the MRI. I didn't have a spinal tap which was, grossly enough, recommended by the neurologist. I'm like "is this for funsies?" Wouldn't change my actions (no prescription drugs) so why bother?

Neither of my kids are vax'd. I had a "reaction" when I was five years old, headed to kindergarten. I did the classic arch-backed crying all night long. Then I joined the military and got shot up with everything under the sun. I really think I have classic signs of Asperger's. High IQ, limited social skills (until about 7-8 years ago, after detox, etc), OCD (I live for repetition and patterns *even numbers only please, pyramid shapes, etc.).

I also have MS and a 10 year old son with autism. We were diagnosed within one month of each other but had been living with our afflictions for a year at least. I feel your frustration and don't understand why there is little concern by the medical establishment.

When my sister's son seizured she too was very ill. The doctor said, I think he has toxic encephalopathy and you have toxic neuropathy, likely from the same cause. She has been diagnosed as having MS by one neurologist and UN diagnosed by another. She's good right now, last year she had to use a chair scooter.

Sarah, I'm so sorry for your diagnosis of MS. I have 3 vaccine injured children (2 fully recovered:). About 5 years ago, I began having very strange symptoms: everything hurt, blurred vision, dizziness, major anxiety, lethargic, major muscle weakness (I couldn't even jog to the end of my driveway), plus a multitude of other problems. All my tests kept coming back normal, so I was feeling they were thinking I had some "psychological disturbance". 10 years earlier, I had climbed Mt. McKinley. How could I have gone down hill so quickly? It wasn't just "normal aging". I feared I was going to end up in a wheelchair at age 43. Scary!
Anyway, as I was no stranger to biomed, I had my mouthful of amalgams removed, did a chelation protocol, dietary changes, targeted supplements, etc. I felt a little better. The thing that really ended up helping the most was a QRS mat (pulsed,electromagnetic therapy my DAN doc recommended). That was my major turning point to regaining my health. It's not inexpensive (around $2,700.00), but you can rent to own. Plus, the whole family can use it (it's good for a number of things, including sports med). Once I started with the QRS, I experienced a 6 month period of continued detox that my chelation hadn't taken care of. Was really amazing! Dr. Pawluk is the one who markets them here in the US (they were developed in Germany). If you go to www.bodyfields.com they will have a link to his website. He does fairly frequent phone conferences you can sign up and get all your questions answered. Now, instead of worrying about ending up in a wheelchair, I'm training for my first marathon. I am SO thankful for this product, and wonder why mofre DAN doctors aren't using this (or don't know about it?). I chelated all 3 of my kids, but if I'd known about the QRS, I would have tried that first (and believe the results would have been as good and faster with the QRS!). I hope this information helps you (and others). The beauty of the QRS is that it helps every cell in your body function better. Once you own it, it's yours to keep and use daily for as long as you need it. You do get a lot of bang for your buck. We all have limited resources. The QRS has been our best "tool" in our ever growing tool box of interventions we've tried over the last 16 years. Good luck to you! Hang in there!

Sarah,
You might look into the book "Could It Be B12? An Epidemic of Misdiagnoses". This book explains how severe B12 deficiency can be misdiagnosed as both MS and autism...so at least someone out there is indeed aware of the link between these two disorders.

"The behavioural outcomes in the second experiment reported here reinforce the pathological outcomes seen in the first studies. While the histological measurements from these studies are still pending, the extent of the behavioural deficits strongly suggests that we will observe widespread neuronal pathologies. The greater extent of the behavioural outcomes in this experiment may be related to the experimental paradigm that tripled the number of aluminum hydroxide injections."
"Overall, the results reported here mirror previous work that has clearly demonstrated that aluminum, in both oral and injected forms, can be neurotoxic [15,16,32,33]. Potential toxic mechanisms of action for aluminum may include enhancement of inflammation (i.e., microgliosis) and the interference with cholinergic projections [34], reduced glucose utilization [33], defective phosphorylation-dephosphorylation reactions [35], altered rate of transmembrane diffusion and selective changes in saturable transport systems in the blood brain barrier (BBB [36], and oxidative damage on cellular processes by the inhibition of the glutathione redox cycle [37]."

Lyme bacteria do not work on their own. The bacteria love mercury and keep the body from excreting it. Lyme disease disables the immune system and allows viruses to flourish.

People can have an asymptomatic infection with the Lyme bacteria. If they are infected but asymptomatic, they do not have Lyme disease. But if their body is overly stressed by anything--physical trauma, severe emotional trauma, vaccination, etc., the Lyme bacteria can come out of dormancy.

Lyme is not the only thing to treat, but for many, many people, it is an important part of the puzzle.

Sarah, I forgot to add that it always stikes me as so obvious that the parents know when something is not right with their child. I hate it when docs or other people don't give the parents credit for knowing that something is off. It almost always proves to be right if the parents suspect problems.

hi Sarah, I was really interested in your post as I have a friend who has lived with MS for years (and Crohns). She ended up having a child (a son) against all odds. She didn't even realize she was pregnant for awhile and had some kind of abdominal surgery before they found out! Her son has ADHD and they (docs) figure it was because of some of the meds she took for her conditions. On the other hand, MS has been seen as an auto-immune condition and they do say that people with auto-immune weaknesses are more likely to have a child with autism(especially difficult for the child to handle immunizations). I'm not sure about how this fits in with the new CCVSI treatments where they open up blockages in the veins of people with MS. This treatment sure has helped alot of people (trouble is the veins can re-collapse unless a stint is put in) and it seems to threaten the crap out of the pharma people. Imagine if a simple surgery could replace all the pain,anti-inflammatory and chemo drugs used for MS!!! I think MS is currently undergoing a radical re-thinking as to cause thanks to Zamboni's trials and it is really dividing the MS community. Saskatchewan (Canada) is even thinking of covering the surgery for people even though the procedure is still in its infancy. I will help my friend to get it done in India as she cannot walk well now. I know the MS community is becoming very divided over this new theory as to cause and the neuro at the Toronto clinic was absolutely nasty to my friend about even contemplating it. Her GP absolutely backs her up and basically said if it were him, he would do it. It reminds me so much of the issues involved with autism. I wish you the best of luck with getting better- you and your child.

doctors miss the autism diagnosis for the same reason i agreed to the vaccine schedule for my now injured son. we all learned in school that the prevalence was 1 in 10,000 and you think statistically it's impossible.
i had juvenile rheumatoid arthritis following my college vaccine boosters and have a son with autism.

@ Pierre Morin - very interesting comment. At what age was the Hep B jab administered? They are often administered in the U.S. on the first day of life. This is appalling! The blood brain barrier does not become functionally competent until later in life. I can think of no reasonable rationale for this vaccine policy. To "prevent" an STD? God help us. This is immoral and sacrilegious.

I think you've got to begin to ask whether there might be malice, mens rea for the attorneys amongst us, behind some of the decisions underlying global vaccine policy.

An article titled “WHO list reveals flu advisors with financial ties to pharma, vaccine manufacturers” by Mike Adams on August 11, 2010. Does anyone see a COI with respect to the WHO? Hmmm. What exactly has the WHO done lately to earn our trust?

“The greatest threat of childhood diseases lies in the dangerous and ineffectual efforts made to prevent them through mass immunization.

...Doctors, not politicians, have successfully lobbied for laws that force parents to immunize their children as a prerequisite for admission to school.

...They [doctors] should be nervous, because in a recent Chicago case a child damaged by a pertussis inoculation received a $5.5 million settlement award. If your doctor is in that state of mind, exploit his fear, because your child's health is at stake.”

There is a global public health crisis, which is manifesting itself, in part, as an epidemic of multi-systemic autoimmune, neurobehavioral, and neurodegenerative diseases. We should learn everything we possibly can about potential SOURCES of the problem. IMO, the source will be proven to be environmental, and may come as a surprise to many.

Sarah, I'm so sorry about the diagnosis but so respect your continued push to find out the truth for yourself and your son. I admire you greatly!

I am angry at mainstream medical practitioners who stopped listening to the patient's observations and parental observations. I'm angry but not really at the individual doctors but at the media and Mainstream medical organizations for continually painting the picture that we must be manipulated and ignored because what we have to offer is not applicable. It's almost become a political issue of a new class of discrimination. Somehow, someway we must change this view or else the understanding of autoimmune dysfucntion connections with MS(and other autoimmune conditions) and autism will never be studied. They have to listen 1st before any understanding can take place.

Good luck with everything and may you beat every obsticle that comes your way!

I usually say the grandma has ms, the mom has eczema, and the child has autism. Auto-immune disease? Still an issue of purposely looking for the causes of autism in all the wrong places. It's easy for our elected officials and individuals they appoint to make policies to look the other way because looking in the right direction will be a huge inconvenience and loss of political donations.

I agree with Mary, the most probable link is mercury toxicity, and vulnerability to that. Start researching the subject. If you have amalgams--my suggestion is to get them out safely by and IAMOT dentist--asap. http://www.iaomt.org/

Firsthand I can tell you that I used to have dizziness, headaches, inability to sleep, and I was anxious and worried about all kinds of things I knew logically I shouldn't be, yet I was consumed by worry. I had no money to see a doctor, so I didn't, so who knows what I might have been diagnosed with--actually I thought all these things were just due to overwork, lack of sleep, and my personality. Getting my amalgams out safely and treating myself via the Cutler protocol has solved ALL these problems. No more headaches. I fall asleep easily almost every night; sleep through the night easily, don't get dizzy, don't have headaches and have experienced several other health benefits as well.

So I suggest that you check out the autsim-mercury yahoo group and Andy Cutler's hair test counting rules. If appropriate, try his protocol to treat mercury toxicity. IMO, you can't count on doctors to provide the help you need as they either don't know about the link or deny it, so you need to take charge of the problem yourself!

There used to be a 1990 60 minutes episode on the net about the link between amalgams and MS--can't find it at the moment--but you might try to find that and watch it. You may find it enlightening. Good luck.

Sarah, god bless you. I feel that MS and autism treatments should be investigated for cross compatibility... I mean, I believe that MS and Autism both have toxicological and viral triggers. Stephanie Cave, MD told me how she got an MS patient out of her wheel chair with some treatments that have been used with success on autistics (high dose Vitamin C and chelation). Her interview is available at AutismMedia.org.

That said, I have a personal interest in both MS and Autism. My ex wife has advanced MS and requires assisted living. It attacked her MIND and personality as badly as it did her body. It is the saddest thing I have ever witnessed, short of my grandfather's decline with alzheimer's. MS and Autism have decimated my dreams of a family. Now it's just me and my severely autistic daughter, doing the best we can to build a life. Biomedical interventions have taken my daughter light years ahead of where she WOULD have been... and she's a lot healthier and happier...and well behaved... but with two major diseases in the family... the money ran out and we couldn't do the truly aggressive biomedical & behavioral therapy interventions that would have given her a chance at recovery from Autism. If I had a quarter million bucks to work with... then maybe.

I hate M.S. and I hate Autism. But I believe they're both recoverable.

I was tested for MS years ago.... but the symptoms all came on directly after receiving the MMR in my 30s. I told all the doctors it was the shot, and they all told me I should be happy that I was now not going to get the measles. You see, I turned up neg for immunity to measles, and so I was sent for a measles shot. I had no idea that I got the MMR until a couple years ago, when I found my vaccine records.

We have a range of different auto-immune dieases in our extended family (cousins,etc.) I have an auto-immune diease, my daughter MS and I have grandchildren, brother & sister,(not hers) with autism. I have asked this question before about the autism/auto-immune connection, but no answers. I think the time has come that researchers should consider this a large part of the puzzle.

Sarah: I have been scared that my daughter's high sed rates, and high reactive protein levels after her recent Hep B would turn into MS. I do have a cousin with MS too.

Instead we got full blown bipolar complete with psychosis.

Jut goes to prove there is no need to worry because what you worry about don't happen - something else will happen that you never even thought about ever!

You think it is God trying to keep us on our toes?

MS is just one more of a long list of stuff that is added on to the list.

Let us just go ahead an put that thyroid trouble on there too.

In a recent blog on the Kawasaki's website it went something like this:

Blogger # 1
"I think thyroid can be genetic. I became hypo 9 months after having my firstborn at 26 years old. My firstborn was dx at 1 year of age with hypo. My identical twins are also hypo - one dx at 1 year and the other at 15 months. My sister was diagnosed with hypo at 26 years old. My sister and I are full blooded siblings, but raised in totally different families - we've never lived together. Thank goodness for Synthroid - we go through it like candy here in my household. Have you ever read the "Autoimmune Epidemic"? Pretty interesting book. I think there are environmental factors as well, but genetics can play here too."

Blogger #2
My mother-in-law and all three of her sisters did have thyroid problems. I am not genetically connected to my mother-in-law, or her sisters. My family elders - no thyroid problems, yet I came down with thyroid trouble at a early age."

Blogger # 3
"I do believe some people have a genetic predisposition to Thyroid disease. When my niece was DX w/ hypo and JD at the age of seven, my sister was told "genetic predisposition w/ suspected viral trigger" - sound familiar? In my immediate family we have early onset Thyroid Disease, KD and JD - not a coincidence in my mind".

To Blogger #1 -, I have heard that is not unusual for women post pegnancy to develope hypo but, your children? How was their DX at such a young age made, what were their symptoms? Being so young did they have any developmental issues? I know you have discussed this in the past, but if you don't mind repeating - Does your child who had KD also have thyroid disease? Lucky for you Synthroid is cheaper than candy!"

All this sounds like a broken record
- all you have to do is fill in the blank for what every fancy name the immune disease is.

Thank you, Sarah, for such an interesting article. As you were the one who knew your diagnosis ahead of your doctors, and that of your son, you probably know this already, too. However, on the odd chance that you do not, please consider looking into the health benefits of turmeric, flaxseed oil, and Vitamin D as holistic aids that might potentially mitigate some symptoms of MS, in addition to any other conventional medicine that has been recommended. This is not medical advice, but nutritional wisdom. All the best to you in your quest for wellness.